Belmont Plaza and Sixth Street Public Realm Improvements
Project update, March 2023: Work is ongoing to develop a permanent design for public realm improvements on Sixth Street and an expanded Belmont Plaza, based on what we heard through community engagement in 2021 and 2022.
While we work on this permanent design, the City will implement an interim plaza space this spring using the full width of Belmont Street and extending from Sixth Street to the laneway mid-block between Sixth and Seventh streets. The expanded space will enable community events and other programming to take place in the plaza during summer 2023, and to give people a chance to experience and get used to a bigger plaza. We’ll be asking for your feedback following the summer activities in the expanded space!
Interim changes to the plaza this spring will include the addition of tables and seating, and removal of some of the existing elements in the space to make it more flexible for both neighbourhood gathering and opportunities for events and activities. Temporary water and power connections have also been installed to support more community programming.
These interim changes will enable the community to experience a larger plaza in the Uptown neighbourhood with better opportunities for community use – for example, small markets, musical performances, recreational activities, etc. – and to get used to traffic and parking changes. The expanded plaza will also allow the City to learn about the community’s interest to program and use the space through a summer season.
We’ll be seeking feedback on your experiences in Belmont Plaza this summer when we re-engage the community on this project in fall 2023. This feedback will help inform the design of the future permanent Uptown plaza.
Project Overview
Changes are coming on Sixth Street and in Belmont Plaza in Uptown! This project will reimagine Sixth Street between Sixth Avenue and Belmont Street, and Belmont Plaza, to orient this area more clearly towards the public realm and walking, with more flexible uses and improved accessibility.
Proposed features include an expanded, permanent Belmont Plaza, widened sidewalks, improved lighting, more seating, temporary road closures for special events, and prioritization for pedestrians at the intersection of Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue.
While this project previously focused on this block of Sixth Street, based on feedback from the community we have now combined the project to include both public realm improvements on Sixth Street and an expanded Belmont Plaza. We want to be sure these public spaces work well together.
We’re taking feedback from earlier (2021) engagement on Sixth Street and more recent (summer 2022) engagement on Belmont Plaza to develop two concepts for the plaza space and refine the designs for Sixth Street. The options and designs will be presented to the public for feedback later in 2023.
This project takes direction from the vision set in the City of New Westminster’s Council-approved Uptown Streetscape Vision to create “a vibrant commercial district with a distinct identity, accessible and sustainable transportation, as well as inviting and engaging public spaces that are welcoming to all people." While initial plans for in-person consultation on the Uptown Streetscape Vision were postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, engagement with key stakeholders took place in June 2020. Click here to read the Uptown Streetscape Vision Key Stakeholder Engagement Summary Report.
This project aligns with the City’s Master Transportation Plan goals and Seven Bold Steps for Climate Action - specifically, Car-light Community, Quality People-Centred Public Realm, and Robust Urban Forest.